Harry Potter and the Crystal Moon
by Pintocleo
Summary: Harry Potter's sixteen years old. What havoc can he create now?
1. Chapter 1

A/N-Ah, thank you for wanting to read my fanfic, for whatever reasons you may have....  
  
This is a story of Harry Potter's sixth year at Hogwarts. Has spoilers of the  
  
fifth book, and might not make sense if you haven't read it. Anyways, I hope you  
  
like it, and please give corrections if you have any in the reviews. This one  
  
of my first online fanfics, unless you count chain fanfics, which I don't.   
  
Hope you like it!  
  
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Parents of the little children running about watched the black-haired  
  
teenager cautiously. The boy was a good-for-nothing nuisance, or so his  
  
Aunt and Uncle told. Harry Potter sat in the little wooden train, bored  
  
out of his wits. He had absolutely nothing to do; he had actually finished  
  
all of his homework in his boredom. What few letters he had gotten were  
  
quite normal and gave little information.  
  
"Um, mister, can I play in the train?" a little tyke, about 6 years  
  
old and cheery, asked from beside him. The child's parents stared in fear  
  
as to what that 'Potter boy' would do to their son.  
  
"Fine," he muttered, scanning the sky for an owl. He had been waiting  
  
for any mail in the last week. Getting up, he began to walk back to 4 Privet  
  
Drive, his sorry excuse for a home. As he did, he noticed a group of people  
  
surrounding 5 Privet Drive, across the street. In the fray, he saw Aunt   
  
Petunia's pale yellow-brown head bobbing about. This meant he could get into  
  
the house without anyone noticing. He sprinted across, and went through the   
  
door, looking at the numerous shoes around, to see if Dudley was there. Twenty,  
  
twenty-six, thirty-two. One pair was missing, therefor Dudley had gone out in  
  
his car. He had gotten his licence that summer, and for a congratulations, his  
  
Aunt and Uncle had gotten Dudley his shiny car. In the last two weeks, it had   
  
been crashed four times. Harry didn't mind, because next year, he would be   
  
able to take his apparation test, and could jinx Dudley all he wanted. But for  
  
now, he had to withstand the Dursleys. Climbing up the stairs to his room, he  
  
heard an unfamiliar hoot. He stumbled through his stuff to his room, then saw   
  
the important-looking grey-black owl, who dropped a package and two letters   
  
before heading back out the half-open window. He wondered what the second   
  
letter was, before it struck him. His OWL marks! Grabbing the first one, he  
  
tore it open. It was the usual Hogwarts stuff, and he tossed it aside. His  
  
hands shook as he grabbed the second, and broke the wax seal with the owl.  
  
  
  
Ordinary Wizarding Levels  
  
for Mr. Harry Potter  
  
Astronomy- Acceptable  
  
Care of Magical Creatures- Outstanding  
  
Charms- Exceeds Expectations  
  
Defense Against the Dark Arts- Oustanding  
  
Divination- Poor  
  
Herbology- Exceeds Expectations  
  
History of Magic- Acceptable  
  
Potions- Exceeds Expectations  
  
Transfiguration- Exceeds Expectations  
  
  
  
Based upon these scores, you are eligible for the following   
  
subjects;  
  
Care of Magical CreaturesCharms  
  
Defense Against Dark ArtsHerbology  
  
Transfiguration  
  
Therefore, your chosen career of Auror is available for you, as   
  
you have the minimum 5 OWL(s). If you have changed your mind, please   
  
consult your head of house.  
  
  
  
Sincerely,  
  
The OWL Commitee  
  
As Harry grinned stupidly, he grabbed the parcel, no doubt from  
  
Hagrid. It was a little box, with a golden ribbon around it, along with  
  
a note, saying;  
  
Harry,  
  
Happy Birthday! See you at school, hope you like your present.  
  
It's the one from your very first game.  
  
Hagrid  
  
Opening it up, he saw a glint of gold before it zoomed out. A snitch!  
  
He jumped for it, but missed, as it went to flutter about the top of the  
  
room. After finally catching it, he put it back into the velvet case, and  
  
put it onto his desk. Hedwig had been gone for a while, and it was starting  
  
to get dark. Yawning, he changed and went to bed. As he lay under the covers,  
  
he could hear the Snitch beating it's wings uselessly. He chuckled to himself.  
  
His father had a Snitch too. 


	2. Chapter 2

Dressing and getting up, Harry heard a commotion coming from downstairs.  
  
As he bounced down the stairs, Aunt Petunia screeched, "Stop that this instant!"  
  
She was in a frenzy, noticing specks of dirt everywhere. When she saw him, she   
  
motioned for him to come talk to her.  
  
"What do you want?" Harry asked, bored. He wanted to go celebrate his birthday.  
  
"Don't you use that tone on me, boy," she snarled. "Now, I invited the new   
  
neighbors for dinner tonight. I want you to stay in your room, and no noise, or  
  
I don't care, you're locked in the cupboard for the rest of the summer."  
  
Harry nodded, then began to leave.  
  
"You don't walk away without saying anything! You never do! What makes you think  
  
today is so special?"  
  
"It's my birthday, if you don't remember," he spat back. He then slammed the front  
  
door and went off to buy something.  
  
He came back with his new watch and a box of figurines. Once he was back in Hogwarts,  
  
he was going to charm the plastic figures to do stuff. But for now, he would just play   
  
around with them. As he walked through the door, he heard Dudley's loud talking, and   
  
the guffawed laughter of his cronies. Heart sinking, he tried to sneak through to the   
  
stairs, but they saw him.  
  
"Oi, isn't it that Potter?" one said; Harry for the life of him couldn't remember any  
  
of their names. They all looked the same- pudgy with muscles and a confused look   
  
imprinted into their faces.  
  
"Ya," Dudley replied glumly. "Hey, what's that?"  
  
"What's what?" Harry asked. Looking at the box of toys, he asked,"This?"  
  
"No, on your wrist," he said, pointing to his new watch.  
  
"Oh, my birthday present to me," Harry answered happily.  
  
"That's expensive, over a hundred pounds," Piers Polkiss commented. "I've been  
  
saving up for one like that."  
  
"You stole it, didn't you?" Dudley accused.  
  
"Na, I'm not like you bunch. I have my own money," Harry commented.  
  
"You're lying. Mom n' Dad don't give you any money." He wanted to go upstairs, he could  
  
hear the flutter of wings in his room, most likely Errol or Pig.  
  
"It's not from your parents. It's from mine," said Harry.  
  
"They didn't have any money. I would know," Dudley disagreed.  
  
"None you could use. But I have money. Now if you'll excuse me, I think I should  
  
go open my other presents."  
  
"From who?" he called as he climbed up the stairs.  
  
"My friends," he yelled down the stairs, then went into his room. Errol, Pig, Hedwig, and  
  
two unknown ones sat on his lumpy bed. Untying the letters and packages from their legs, he  
  
took Hedwig's water bowl from his cage, for better access.  
  
Picking up a letter, he ripped it open.  
  
Dear Harry,  
  
How are you? Sorry if this is a little late, I was really busy the last   
  
week, and forgot to send this beforehand. Anyways, here it is, Fred and George   
  
chipped in too, or it wouldn't be this type. I wanted you to come to our house   
  
again this year, but Hermione invited us, you'll most likely get the letter now.   
  
I hope the muggles'll let you come. 3Ws (Weasley's Wizard Wheezes) is doing great,   
  
and I think Mom approves now. They say they almost have enough to get their own   
  
place, so I'll get their room! See you at Hermione's, or if not, Diagon Alley or   
  
Hogwarts.  
  
Ron  
  
Grabbing the package, he untied the rope and grinned. It looked like an MP3 player,  
  
but it was a magical radio, an RPlayer 2M3, or so the box said.  
  
On the next letter, he knew it was Hermione's because of the neat cursive on   
  
the front.  
  
Harry;  
  
Happy birthday! Hedwig came to deliver this for me, she's so smart! I want to  
  
invite you to my house this year, as we always go to Ron's. If you can come, we'll   
  
pick you up on August 5, at noon. I ordered your present from Quality Quidditch   
  
Supplies, and I'm sure you'll like it. Please owl me back!  
  
Hermione  
  
The present, wrapped in frosted green paper and gold ribbon, was a book, 'Seeker  
  
tips', with a picture of Joseph Wronski, the author, on the front, zooming around.   
  
The next was a present wrapped in Gryffindor paper, with a note taped on, saying;  
  
To Mr. Harry Potter, From Dobby  
  
Expecting a pair of unusual socks, he wasn't disappointed. One was red, with a   
  
Gryffindor lion, along with a black one with a grey sword.  
  
The final looked like a black hole, except for white letters, stating his name and address.  
  
Breaking the seal, he read it slowly.  
  
Dear Mr. Potter;  
  
Upon the passing away of a Mr. Sirius Black, you have been left the following  
  
items;  
  
Vault #315 at Gringotts Bank, London (key enclosed)  
  
'Marauder's Journal'  
  
'Theory of Magic'  
  
An unknown stack of parchment  
  
Also, upon your 18th birthday,  
  
34 Grimmauld Place  
  
Sincerely,  
  
Danielle Chinske  
  
After putting the key in his pocket, he carefully unwrapped the package attached to  
  
it. It contained two books and a pile of parchment wrapped in twine. Untying the cord, he  
  
sifted through the sheets, but only one had any words on it.  
  
Tap them with wand and say the oath of the Marauder's;  
  
'I solemnly swear to be up to no good'  
  
To clear, tap and say,'Mischief Managed'  
  
Padfoot  
  
He knew this was considered magic, so didn't even bother picking up his wand. He would  
  
when he got back to Hogwarts. Flipping through the books, he read exerpts from the journal.  
  
It was a list of events that they did together, from filling the Slytherin Common Room with  
  
seawater to finding new passageways. When he got to the 'Theory of Magic', he wondered why  
  
this would be in here with all this wonderful stuff. However, his questions were answered  
  
once he turned to the title page. At first, it was written, 'Theory of Magic, by Parethius  
  
Teroy. But after a moment, it squirmed until it said, 'How to become an Animagus'.  
  
After staring at it for a moment, he flipped through the many chapters, not   
  
understanding half of the words. He would need Hermione to figure this out. As he heard the   
  
door opened, he supposed it was the new neighbors.  
  
The final one was from Mrs. Weasley, and it was a pile of brownies, cake, and candy.  
  
Who needed dinner when you had that?  
  
Listening to the radio while eating them, he began reading the Marauder's Journal. Before  
  
he knew it, the clock on the wall moved to 1 am. Putting the book on his desk, and went to  
  
sleep. 


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning, he went downstairs and found the Dursleys in deep conversation. When  
  
they saw Harry, they instantly went silent. Harry went to his seat, and piled a few pieces  
  
of the over-fried bacon left over from the other three. He was waiting for the right time   
  
to ask them if he could go to Hermione's.  
  
"So, boy, you got presents for your birthday," Uncle Vernon commented roughly.  
  
"Yup," Harry replied, feeling the little weight in his jacket pocket that was his Rplayer.  
  
"So they're from your school?" he asked.  
  
"Mostly, I got a couple from my godfather," he said innocently.  
  
"Don't go on with that godfather rubbish. If you did, why aren't you living with him?"  
  
"Because he was in jail," he answered, biting into a piece of buttery toast.  
  
"Ha, so the coppers put one of you lot in the jail!" Vernon said triumphantly.  
  
"No, not in your jail," Harry explained. "Our jail, on an island in the middle of   
  
nowhere."  
  
"Then how did you write letters to him?" he continued to interrogate.  
  
"You remember Sirius Black, right?" Harry asked.  
  
"Don't go off-topic with me, boy-" Uncle Vernon began. "Wait, you don't mean to say  
  
that- he was- is- your godfather?"  
  
"Yes, he was," he said.  
  
"Aha, but he's dead!"  
  
"You don't think he would leave nothing to me in his will, did you?" Harry questioned.  
  
Uncle Vernon was silent, then continued to eat.  
  
"Oh, by the way, can I leave on the fifth?" Harry asked quickly.  
  
"To where? Your bloody friend with the red hair's house?"  
  
"No, my friend Hermione's home," he informed.  
  
"When are they coming?" he asked.  
  
"Umm, at noon."  
  
"No way will I have any of your kind in here," Uncle Vernon began. "I remember what   
  
happened last time."  
  
"But Hermione's parents are perfectly normal," Harry pleaded, "they're dentists."  
  
"Huh," Uncle Vernon said, "I wouldn't have anyone like that looking in my mouth."  
  
"Besides, this way you know Moody won't come knocking," Harry tried to make him  
  
agree.  
  
"Fine then, but no nonsense, or I'll simply send your friend away and lock you  
  
in the cupboard."  
  
Harry went outside after sending his reply to Hermione, then went off to Mrs. Figg's   
  
house. However, he was blocked by a girl he had never seen before, most likely one of the   
  
new neighbors. She would almost be gothic, if her hair wasn't brown and her lipstick wasn't   
  
blood red.  
  
"Hi, I'm Karen Thompson, I just moved in across the street," she greeted, pointing to   
  
5 Privet Drive.  
  
"Hi. I'm Harry," he mumbled, turning down his RPlayer.  
  
"I saw you the day before yesterday, but not at dinner last night. Where were you?" she   
  
asked, following him as he continued to walk.  
  
"I don't like eating with company," he replied, trying to outpace her.  
  
However, she seemed to catch up with him.  
  
"Really? Me too, but my parents forced me to go meet your family," she continued. "So   
  
where are you going?"  
  
"To go to Mrs. Figg's," he replied passively.  
  
"Oh. Why don't you come over to my house? I'm having a party in an hour or so," she   
  
asked hopefully.  
  
"Sorry. Most of the kids my age that live around here don't like me," Harry replied.  
  
"That's ok, I don't care," she said, but he knew she did. "I even invited your brother."  
  
Harry winced, and said, "He's not my brother. He's my cousin. And since he's there,   
  
definetely no."  
  
"Sorry, touchy subject? Well, just think about it," she pleaded.  
  
"Ok," he said, then turned his music back on.  
  
He knocked on Mrs. Figg's door, then was taken aback as Neville opened it.  
  
"Oh, hello Harry!" he said, sounding quite suprised. "I didn't know you would come here."  
  
"I didn't know you were here," Harry replied.  
  
"Well, Grandmum came to visit Mrs. Figg, so I had to come along," he shrugged. Then he  
  
had an idea.  
  
"Hey, why don't you come to my party? I got 4 OWLs!"  
  
"When is it?" he asked, closing the door behind him, not noticing Karen on the sidewalk,  
  
straining to hear.  
  
"It starts at 5, but I don't know how long it'll go on. I got Grandmum and Granduncle Algie  
  
to stay over at my Aunt's house tonight."  
  
"Sure, but how'm I supposed to get there? I know that my Aunt and Uncle won't be drive me  
  
there," Harry came upon the problem.  
  
"I could get Dean to drive you, he has to pick me up at 3:30 and I think he's bringing   
  
Ginny and Ron, so I'm sure we could squeeze you in," Neville replied. "Oh, and Hermione's coming,  
  
if you're wondering."  
  
"Wait, let me phone my aunt. I'll just say it really quick, and Dudley's going to a   
  
party too, so it won't matter."  
  
Two minutes later, he got off the phone, grinning. "I can go to your party." 


	4. Chapter 4

Dudley grinned tauntingly at Harry as he began to cross the street. "I'm going to a   
  
sweet party with the pretty new neighbor."  
  
"Great. I'm going to a party too," Harry replied, sitting on the partition brick wall.  
  
"No way, you're not going to this party," Dudley objected. "This one's only for cool  
  
people. She wouldn't let you in."  
  
"You'll see," Harry replied smugly. Dudley just shrugged and crossed the street, where  
  
Karen stood at the doorway, letting people in. Dudley joined the ranks of guys hanging around   
  
with her, hopefully trying to get her interested. When she saw Harry, she came across.  
  
"So are you coming?" she asked.  
  
"I have, er, plans," he replied.  
  
"What, sitting on the wall all night?" she joked, slightly annoyed.  
  
"Um, no. I'm meeting up with my friends," he replied.  
  
"Ya right. Look, if you seriously don't want to come to my party, just say so, because   
  
lying's not going to get you anywhere," she retorted, putting her hand on her hips. Just then,  
  
Neville came walking down from Mrs. Figg's, to go stand with Harry. "They're coming."  
  
"Who's coming?" Karen asked, getting irritated. Then, they heard honking. Coming down the  
  
street were two sleek convertibles, one silver, one black, both filled with a bunch of laughing   
  
people.  
  
"What'd you say?" Neville asked, as they came to stop in front of the three.  
  
"Harry! You're in this one!" Dean cried from the silver one in the front, as the others   
  
greeted the pair. "Neville, your in the second, so they know how to get to your house and won't  
  
have to trail me anymore."  
  
"Jeez Dean, do you think I'm following you just because I don't know the way? It's fun!"   
  
Lavender objected from the black one. Laughing, Harry climbed into the car, to sit beside   
  
Hermione, who was beside Ron, noticing that everyone across the street was watching in apparent   
  
awe and shock. Harry knew what was going through most of their minds; 'Harry Potter has cool   
  
friends?'  
  
And cool they were. The scene could've of been in a television show about popular people,  
  
including the 'no-ugly' factor.   
  
"See you later, Karen," Harry called as they zoomed away.  
  
"So who was that, Harry?" Ron asked as they turned the corner.  
  
"Oh, some girl who moved in across the street," Harry replied passively. "Nice car, Dean."  
  
"Thanks, it's my dad's. I got to borrow it tonight, because he's very enviromentally   
  
friendly, so when he heard that I was carpooling, he totaly agreed."  
  
"Hermione, I can go to your house. I sent you a letter anyways, because I had no idea I  
  
was going to Neville's."  
  
"Oh, great!" she exclaimed, smiling.  
  
"Hey, what's with your hair? It's less, bushy," he commented. Her mass of brown hair was   
  
more wavy than curly.  
  
"Oh, I got it straightened a bit. Mom and Dad wouldn't let me get it totally done, but I   
  
think it looks better this way."  
  
They finally got to Neville's house, a mansion-like building with 3 stories.  
  
"Wow Neville, I didn't know your house was this huge," Lavender called from behind them as  
  
they parked in his driveway.  
  
"Ok, we haveta do alot before everyone else comes," he said, as he opened the doors.   
  
They entered a two-story room, with two staircases curling around a beautiful painting of   
  
Neville's mother and father, smiling happily, atop a fireplace, with a fire smoking merrily.   
  
"Whoa," Parvati commented. "We should come to your house more often, Neville."  
  
Laughing, they got to work. After putting away all of the fragile and expensive items, they   
  
put together the snacks. When the doorbell rang, they were just putting the music on in the main  
  
hall. To make it easier, they had locked up the second and third floors.  
  
It was a group of Hufflepuff sixth years, and they entered happily, giving congratulations   
  
to Neville and sat down on the foot of the stairs.  
  
After a while, Harry went off to get a butterbeer, and stayed to talk to Hannah Abbot.   
  
People kept coming in, until the place was pretty full.  
  
Going back to the door, he saw Tonks come out of a car and up the path.  
  
"Hey Tonks, what're you doing here?" Harry asked as she came up to the door.  
  
"Mrs. Longbottom sent me along to make sure nothing bad happens. Bad choice though, will  
  
most likely cause more problems than help. Oh, Charlie and Bill are coming too, and I think   
  
they're bringing people along."  
  
"Okay," Neville said cheerfully, "the more the better."  
  
Soon, they had gotten pretty full, and Neville thought they should close the doors. Doing   
  
so, they almost squished a group of Slytherins.  
  
"What the...!" Neville cried, and people stopped to look. Malfoy, Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle   
  
were trying to get through the doors unsuccesfully.  
  
"Hey, what's going on?" Bill said, pushing through to the front. He then saw the group and  
  
his face hardened.  
  
The Gryffindor group fought their way to the front, then stood in a barrier ahead of the   
  
Slytherins.  
  
"What are you doing here?" Neville snarled, so unlike himself.  
  
"Just wanted to tell everyone that there's a party at my mansion, and we have the Weird   
  
Sisters playing," Malfoy announced to the quiet crowd. "If anyone wants to come, you know  
  
where it is."  
  
They left and they slammed the doors shut.  
  
"What a stupid git," Charlie muttered from somewhere in the crowd. Everyone started laughing  
  
and the conversations continued. Harry hung around, talking to people from the DA everywhere.   
  
Finally, Fred and George gave Neville their present. Once he opened it, a dozen fireworks shot  
  
out, blasting into creatures; a yellow lion with a red mane, a brown hawk with a blue beak and   
  
claws, a black badger with a golden aura, along with a unicorn, dragon, 3-headed dog, Basilisk,  
  
Acromantula, and oddly, a flying pig.  
  
"For sale at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, 15 galleons each!" Fred cried in advertisement.  
  
At about three in the morning, most of them had gone home. Except for one person Harry had   
  
been avoiding the whole night. Cho Chang.  
  
"Hey Harry," she greeted calmly. She looked great, in a tight blue cotton shirt and jeans.  
  
"Hi Cho," he commented, picking up a bunch of empty butterbeer bottles.  
  
"Uh, can I talk to you for a second?" she asked politely.  
  
"I haveta help clean up. I promised Neville," Harry declined, going into the kitchen.  
  
"Please, Harry. I want to talk to you right now," she said, following him.  
  
"Ok, what is it?"  
  
"It's about last year. I think I sort of overreacted about your relationship with Hermione.  
  
But everyone thinks you two are together. I mean, you hang out together all the time, and you  
  
remember the articles about you two in Witch Weekly during the Triwizard Tournament...."  
  
"Relax, it's alright," he replied, wiping off the counter.  
  
"You want to get together sometime? Like next week?" she asked.  
  
"I thought you were with Michael Corner?" Harry asked suspiciously, throwing the upstairs   
  
keys to Neville.  
  
"Oh, you knew about us?" she asked, sounding suprised. "No, we broke up. He's a little too  
  
unstable for me, too moody."  
  
"No, I only knew because he used to date Ginny. And I can't, I'm going off to Hermione's  
  
in two days," Harry said innocently, knowing Cho would get jealous.  
  
"Oh, ok then. I'll see you around then," she said hurriedly.  
  
"Harry, come on! We're going!" Dean called from the door.  
  
"Coming!" Harry yelled. "Bye Neville!"  
  
"Bye everyone! Thanks for helping me out," he said.  
  
"Anytime," Ginny said, along with nods from everyone else.  
  
Going out the doors, they got back into the convertibles, but this time, he got to sit in   
  
Lavender's car, with Seamus and Parvati. But they still followed each other, because they had  
  
plenty of time to waste. They got to Privet Drive first, and Harry opened the door. The party   
  
across the street was dead, with only a few people mulling about the yard. It had been pretty  
  
slow, to the looks of it. All of the furniture was still upright and there weren't any creatures  
  
flying about the ceiling. Karen sat on the doorstep, surrounded by the hopefuls. Harry was amused  
  
to see that Dudley was still among them.  
  
"Thanks, Lavender," Harry said as he got out.  
  
"See you at school, then," she replied, smiling. They waved as they drove away, and Harry   
  
did the same,then walked to the front door and to his warm, welcoming, bed. 


	5. Chapter 5

Harry woke up six hours later, with his ears pounding horribly from the loud music from last  
  
night. Moaning, he turned over and toppled off the bed. He didn't even remember how he had gotten  
  
upstairs. After taking a shower, he stumbled down the stairs for breakfast.  
  
"So how was the party, Dudley?" he asked conversationally.  
  
"Great! I got to sit with Karen," he said excitedly. "The party was a blast; the music was  
  
great, there was tons of food, and her house was cool."  
  
"Uhuh," he replied. He hadn't heard half of what he said.  
  
Dudley kept talking, but he couldn't hear a word he had spoken. It seemed to be a question,  
  
because the three had turned to look at Harry.  
  
"Er, what?"  
  
Dudley repeated what he said.  
  
"I can't hear you. It must've been the fireworks, all I hear is a ringing tone," Harry   
  
shrugged, continuing to eat.  
  
Dudley continued to talk to his parents, and after eating, Harry went to sit in the living  
  
room, reading 'Seeker Tips'. By noon, he could hear most of what everyone said. When his hearing  
  
came back, he went outside and sat back onto the partition wall, to read the book.  
  
Then a shadow fell onto it, and he looked up to see Karen.  
  
"Uh, hi," Harry said calmly, sitting up more so he could get more light.  
  
"Hello. Sorry about accusing you last night," she murmured.  
  
"Not your fault. It was last minute anyway," he shrugged, continuing to read.  
  
"They look like a cool bunch of people," she commented.  
  
"Yeah, but they live all over the place," he replied, flipping the page.  
  
"What're you reading?" she asked, trying to read the cover.  
  
"Nothing really," he said hurriedly, closing it and getting up.  
  
"Can I see?" she asked, outstretching a hand.  
  
"Um, not really," he said, going inside. Putting the book back in his room, he checked  
  
through the window to see if she was still there. When she was nowhere in sight, he decided  
  
to go to the shopping mall and hang around. For some reason, he was sort of scared of Karen.  
  
After milling through a few stores, he went off to hang by the fountain. He then heard  
  
high-pitched voices calling his name. To his left was Karen and Dudley, and to his right was  
  
Cho. His fear of Karen beat his urge to hide from Cho, so he headed for the short 7th year.  
  
"Hey Cho," he mumbled. "Suprise seeing you here."  
  
"I was in town visiting my cousin, thought I'd do some muggle shopping," she shrugged.  
  
"Harry!" Karen cried again from behind him.  
  
"Uh, I think someone's looking for you," Cho commented.  
  
"Oh bloody hell, I've got to lose her. C'mon," he muttered, grabbing her hand. He pulled  
  
her to a bench far away, and hid behind a group of college students.  
  
"Who's she?" Cho asked suspiciously. "Your girlfriend?"  
  
"No, just some muggle who moved in across the street. I've been trying to avoid her all  
  
day," he explained.  
  
"I think she has a crush on you," she hinted, nudging him good-naturedly.  
  
"Oh please no. My cousin is so infatuated with her it's sick. I'm glad Neville's party  
  
was last night, or I would of had to stand her all night."  
  
"Oh yeah, last night was a blast. Those fireworks were wonderful! I bet they'd be great at  
  
Quidditch matches," she said emphatically.  
  
They began to talk Quidditch, and Harry was explaining a neat way to get people off your  
  
trail from 'Seeker Tips', when someone came up to him. Looking up in dread, he met the eyes of  
  
Karen and Dudley.  
  
"Oh Harry, who's this?" Cho said sweetly.  
  
"Er, Karen, this is Cho. Cho, Karen," he introduced. "Oh, and this is my cousin Dudley."  
  
"Nice to meet you," she said cheerfully, looking up. Her face was completely innocent.  
  
"So how do you know Harry?" Karen asked, trying to keep her face clear of emotion.  
  
"Oh, we go to the same school," she replied.  
  
"St. Brutus'?" she asked suspiciously. Harry replied before Cho could say anything.  
  
"Well, not St. Brutus, it's a split school. The girls' side is called... St. Catherine's,"   
  
he said hurriedly.  
  
"Oh, well, what are you two doing?" Karen interrogated.  
  
"Actually, Harry and I were going to go and meet up with some friends," she said, getting  
  
up. "Coming, Harry?"  
  
"Yup," he obeyed, standing. "See you two later."  
  
They walked hurriedly away. Once they were far enough, Harry asked, "Are we actually going   
  
to meet anyone?"  
  
"Yes. I'm supposed to meet Ernie, Hannah, and Susan at the Food Court," she explained.  
  
They rushed there, and saw the three other Hogwarts students sitting at a table.  
  
Going over, Susan saw them and smiled. "Cho! Oh, and Harry, I didn't know you were here."  
  
Shrugging, he stayed with them for the rest of the day, then went home as they left.  
  
As he trudged his way home, he noticed a fleeting shadow, in the familiar shape of a dog. Last  
  
year melted away, and he called, "Sirius? Is that you?"  
  
He followed the dim shadow of the creature, hope filling him from head to toe.  
  
Did Sirius come back?  
  
He stumbled over a knee-high fence, then jumped onto the dog.  
  
Pulling it forward, he looked at it, his heart sinking. It wasn't him. Letting the dog go,  
  
he sat down on the grass, holding his head. He missed Sirius, the immaturity of his godfather.  
  
His watch ticked at six o'clock, and he gathered himself together, his eyes moist.  
  
"Stop acting like a kid, Harry," he muttered to himself. "He's gone, and'll stay that way."  
  
The barrier of denial was broken; through the whole summer, he had refused the death of Sirius,  
  
like he would come back and yell, "Suprise!"  
  
Continuing on home, he sniffed and entered as quietly as he could.  
  
"You're late, boy," Uncle Vernon snarled as he passed the kitchen doorway.  
  
He looked at his relative with such hatred that moment that the beefy man stumbled on his  
  
way to his armchair. Slowly heading up the stairs, he slumped onto the bed, looking at his  
  
shaking hands. What was happening to him? 


	6. Chapter 6

A stag watched him from atop a hill, examining him inch by inch. As he turned away, a great  
  
black dog bounded up at him, barking a greeting. Riding on his back was a rat, who hung on for   
  
dear life, clinging to the long hairs. They headed down the hill, and Harry followed, gliding  
  
over the grass like a ghost. He came closer to the three, when something screamed, a shrill   
  
screech that caused them to cringe, as if to get it out of their heads. It came from the forest,   
  
an ethereal figure coming towards them. Another on the opposite side came forward, as did Harry.  
  
As they enveloped the three animals, the dog stared into Harry's eyes as the shadows took them   
  
over. Harry stumbled, then continued. In that one moment, the rat bit the dog, then scampered   
  
away, escaping.  
  
His eyes opened wide, trying to see where the rat went. Rat, Wormtail. The connections fell  
  
into place even as the details fell away. The only thing that stayed clear in his mind were the  
  
crystal blue eyes, usually filled with confidence and amusement, scared. Sirius' eyes. The door  
  
slammed open, Vernon in a dress robe in the doorway.  
  
"What's going on?" he asked, rushed. He stared around the room ferverently, as if anything  
  
would jump out and attack him.  
  
"Er, nothing. Just a dream," he mumbled, still staring at the ceiling.  
  
He grumbled, then went back to his room. Aunt Petunia stayed in the doorway a moment longer,  
  
looking at him pitiously, then left as well.  
  
After multiple attempts to fall asleep, he gave up and got dressed as light filtered into  
  
the room. Going downstairs, he opened the fridge and grabbed an apple before heading out to   
  
think. It was about time he did.  
  
Once the sun finally woke up, it saw Harry sitting on a park bench, his feet on the seat.  
  
The quiet suburb was washed with colours as the sun disturbed the clouds in their dark sleep.  
  
The eyes were still imprinted in his own, unable to leave. He held his head up and stared at the  
  
wooden pieces that made the bench. Looking sideways, he frowned as the corner of the bench  
  
appeared and disappeared frequently. After blinking his eyes a few times, he figured it out.  
  
"I know you're there."  
  
After a moment, Tonks showed herself, her hair now a shade of neon yellow.   
  
"Hey Harry. How'd you know I was there?" she asked softly, sitting down next to him.  
  
"Your invisibility cloak was floating over the bench corner," he replied, not bothering   
  
to look up from the bench.  
  
Minutes passed before they said anything.  
  
"Still miss him?" Tonks murmured, her usual cheerful voice now solemn.  
  
"Yeah. Everything reminds me of him now," said Harry bitterly. "Why'd he have to die?"  
  
"I wish he hadn't either. Who would?"  
  
"Lestrange."  
  
Silence took over again while the rooftops changed back to their normal colours.  
  
A pair of voices got louder as they neared the bench. It were the new neighbors, who had  
  
a whiny little kid that always carried a baby blue blanket. The two joggers watched Harry and  
  
Tonks disdainfully, then continued on their way.  
  
"You should head back to Privet Drive before everyone starts coming through here.  
  
I'll be behind you in the cloak."  
  
Obeying, he got down and began to walk down the path that connected to Magnolia Cresent.  
  
"Harry!" someone cried from behind him as he went up the driveway. Turning around with   
  
dread, it was at he expected. Karen.  
  
"Hi," he said glumly, attempting to speed up. Unluckily for him, Tonks stopped him.  
  
"Talk to her," she whispered in his ears. "I'll be sitting at the tree."  
  
"I hate you Tonks," he mumbled as he turned around.  
  
"What did you say?" she asked pleasantly.  
  
"Oh, nothing," he replied. He noticed a girl hiding behind Karen. "Who's that hiding?"   
  
Karen pulled the girl forward, presenting a young girl with a pale face and auburn hair,  
  
who stared at him fearfully. She seemed familiar.  
  
"This is my little sister Sarah. She's 14," Karen introduced.  
  
"Hey Sarah," he greeted, sitting in his usual spot on the brick wall.  
  
"I have to go get something from Dudley. Stay here and talk to Harry, okay Sarah?"  
  
Karen went up to the front door and knocked. Sarah sat down next to Harry. She then  
  
commented, "Do you know why my sister likes you?"  
  
"No idea."  
  
"She saw your picture in Witch Weekly," Sarah replied. "She thinks you're a star or  
  
something. I think it's too funny to correct her."  
  
"You're in Ravenclaw, aren't you," he mumbled. Now he remembered. She was at Neville's  
  
party.  
  
"Yeah. You remember?" she asked, her voice going high.  
  
"Sort of. At Neville's party. Karen's not a witch, right?" he asked nervously.  
  
"No. I'm the first in my family. She's really jealous, she likes the wizarding world. I   
  
think that's another reason why she likes you."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"You don't like her, right?"  
  
"No. To tell you the truth, your sister's almost stalking me," he replied.  
  
"She does that sometimes,"she said.  
  
The girl in question came back outside with her purse. "Sorry I took so long."  
  
"I should go in for breakfast," he said. "Nice to see you again, Sarah."  
  
Heading inside, he sat down at the table and ate the carrot sticks slowly. Dudley came  
  
down and smirked. "Guess who I just kissed?"  
  
"The picture of a cake you have in your room? You would marry it too, if you were allowed  
  
to," Harry mumbled, chewing.  
  
"Very funny, Harry. It was Karen," he said smugly. "I won her over; too bad for you, I   
  
know you had your eye on her."  
  
"I think your memory isn't as good as it was, Dudley. I guess boxing killed the few brain  
  
cells that worked," he replied. "Anyways, I don't like her."  
  
"So you like that chinese girl from yesterday? Chi?" he asked.  
  
"Her name's Cho. And I don't like her anymore," he replied, finishing them off. He started  
  
on the feeble piece of an orange.  
  
"You're just jealous because I got Karen and you didn't," he continued.  
  
"Whatever," he rolled his eyes, then headed up the stairs.  
  
"You are," Dudley called as he went into his room.  
  
Going inside, he started to pack. Tomorrow was when he was leaving for Hermione's. By the  
  
time he was finished, he had used up all the energy from his small breakfast. Looking through his  
  
trunk, he found one last box of Chocolate Frogs at the bottom. As he ate one, a pair of voices  
  
drifted through the window.  
  
"Why'd he say 'see you again' Sarah?"  
  
"He was at the party I went to. Remember, you got angry because you couldn't come and threw  
  
your own party."  
  
"So he goes to your school? Why didn't you tell me?"  
  
"Because I don't need to tell you anything, Karen. He doesn't like you."  
  
There was silence, then there was a clap-like sound and a cry of pain.  
  
"Don't you dare say that ever again. What do you know? Don't butt in where you don't belong.  
  
You just want him for yourself."  
  
"He told me, okay? While you were inside, we were talking and he said that he didn't like   
  
you. He thinks you're stalking him, which is pretty much what you've been doing."  
  
"You're lying. You are! I can see it! You do like him!"  
  
Harry moved for the window, wanting to close it. He didn't want to hear anymore.  
  
"If I did, Cho would've attacked me already."  
  
He stopped. Cho?  
  
"That chinese girl? I saw here yesterday with Harry. Don't tell me she likes him too. Of  
  
course, I'm being stupid. I need to beat her, one way or another."  
  
He slowly closed the window, then sat down on the bed. He could get away from her tomorrow.  
  
Just one more day. 


End file.
